The Passing

Chapter Fourteen [updated]

Pain verses pain.

My feet hammer against the ground as I barrel back towards the house, ignoring the pain that shoots from my abdomen and leg. Every inch of movement is excruciating, but I can't stop. They were here. Which can only mean my brother might still be alive. Maybe there is still time. I choke back tears, screaming at the top of my lungs for Savanna and Lazarus as I get close to the house. Jane stands on the porch directly behind where Savanna sits on the steps. Lazarus comes from inside, blood covering his hands, narrowing his eyes worriedly as I come to a fumbling stop before them.

"What's going on?" Savanna asks with furrowed brows.

"They... here..." Holding up a finger, I desperately try to catch my breath, but the exploding pain in my side and down my right leg makes it impossible. Every inch of my body burns and my spit is thick in my mouth, making the simple task of breathing even harder. Folding over, I brace myself against my knees and toss the necklace blindly at them. One of them will catch it and they'll know. There's a long pause, but eventually someone speaks.

"Where did you find this?" Lazarus asks, passing the locket to Savanna. Straightening up, I throw a finger back the way I came, slowly regaining my breath.

"It was in the grass." I say, wiping sweat from my brow. Savanna sits perfectly still, frozen in time with the locket in her hand. Not just any locket, Kate's locket. Sam's ex-fiance. Everyone at camp knew Sam and Kate's history, but we knew Sam's love for Savanna was instant and unconditional from the moment he met her. If she escaped with Sam, even if Sam thought Savanna were dead, he wouldn't betray her. He's made that abundantly clear.

"They were here," She whispers lowly, totally fixated on the locket.

"They aren't here now. Must be headed to the second location." Lazarus adds, looking down at his hands. He pulls a rag out of his back pocket and starts wiping away the blood. "We better get moving. Now that we know they came through here, maybe we can catch up to them." Jane stands awkwardly off to the side

"I can finish getting the food ready." She offers, pinching her finger. Lazarus nods to her and skips down the steps.

"Have at it. Everything's inside." He says without looking back. Jane nods and disappears inside. Savanna stands quickly, marching over to Lazarus as he opens up the hood of the car.

"How quickly can you get it fixed?" her leg bounces impatiently as she crosses both arms tightly over her chest.

"Two hours. Give or take." He answers, looking up at the sky like a watch.

"Two!" she shrieks, turning away with tears welling in her eyes. "God, if I had known that I would've gone into town with you myself. Since y'all wanted to take your time." Her eyes hover over mine momentarily. Clearly, she has some kind of resentment towards me, and at this point, I can't blame it on one single event. Yeah, I've made mistakes, but I'm learning. It won't matter to her soon anyway— she'll know she was right in the end. Rubbing her face, she leans on the driver's side of the car, peering around the open hood and staring at his hands at work. Lazarus braces himself for a moment, taking a deep breath to regain his patience.

"It will take longer if you stand there and watch." He warns calmly. Rolling her eyes, she stands straight and bites the inside of her cheek.

"Fine." she pushes from the car and throws me yet another sideways glare. "But, seriously Laz. Hurry up." Her words are followed by a long sigh as she storms off inside the house. Lazarus shakes his head to himself, bending back over the hood to jump to work. I step forward, coming to his side but sure to give him a little space. He never breaks focus. His hands move intentionally and with precision, as if they had a mind of their own. Glancing around the open hood, Lazarus gestures inside the car, returning his attention to the engine bay.